Harvard’s Raphael Marcoux will sit out the coming NCAA season in preparation for Canadian Olympic Trials in the spring. Marcoux would have been a senior.
Harvard has already been hit by the flood of NCAA redshirts and gap years in the Olympic year. In fact, they were the first to lose a member, with 53-point scorer Dean Farris announcing back in May that he’d be taking an Olympic redshirt season. With Farris gone and Brennan Novak graduated, Harvard was already out all 64 of its individual points from 2019 NCAAs. Marcoux was one of just three returners who had competed at NCAAs individually.
Marcoux finished 36th in the 50 free (19.58) last season and held down four relay legs for the Crimson. He also led off Harvard’s 8th-place 200 free relay (going 19.66), anchored their 400 medley relay (going 42.90, though the relay didn’t score) and 200 medley relay (19.07 as the team took 13th) and swam a leg of the 10th-place 400 free relay (42.13).
With Marcoux gone, Harvard only returns Umitcan Gures and Michael Zarian from its individual NCAA team.
Marcoux had an excellent summer, hitting personal bests in the long course 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly at the Canadian Championships in August. He won both the 50 free and 100 fly at that meet.
He finished the season ranked #5 among Canadians in the 50 free, #9 in the 100 free, and #5 in the 100 fly.
Marcoux’s Top Times
- 50m free: 22.58
- 100m free: 50.46
- 100m fly: 53.48
- 50y free: 19.22
- 100y free: 42.95
- 100y fly: 46.44
Our list of recently-announced redshirts and deferrals continues to grow:
- Taylor Ruck, Stanford (Canada)
- Olivia Carter, Georgia (USA)
- Ida Hulkko, Florida State (Finland)
- Faith Knelson, Arizona (Canada)
- Mackenzie Padington, Minnesota (Canada)
- Sarah Bacon, Minnesota (USA)
- Kristen Hayden, Minnesota (USA)
- Mabel Zavaros, Florida (Canada)
- Dean Farris, Harvard (USA)
- Javier Acevedo, Georgia (Canada)
- Giovanni Izzo, NC State (Italy)
- Jarod Arroyo, Arizona State (Puerto Rico)
- Ruslan Gaziev, Ohio State (Canada)
- Mario Koenigsperger, USC (New Zealand)
- Grant House, Arizona State (USA)
- Michael Brinegar, Indiana (USA)
- Andrew Capobianco, Indiana (USA)
- Brandon Loschiavo, Purdue (USA)
- Raphael Marcoux, Harvard (Canada)
I believe in him
Kind of an odd decision considering his highest ranking event in Canada is his 100 Fly (53.48 LCM) at 5th place for 2019. Obviously, if your dream is to try and compete at the Olympics, go for it.
However, considering Canada’s selection criteria has typically required 1-2 place finishers at trials to achieve the FINA A Standard, it is extremely unlikely he would make the team… Might be more worthwhile to continue working towards completing your degree and playing a significantly more meaningful role for your varsity team (and then compete at Trials).
“No one takes a year off to train and gets better and makes an Olympic team because hard work never works and dreams never come true” said no one ever.
Apparently it was his first LCM meet in two years. He was also out for a few months after NCAAs for some injury. Not sure how great of a meet this was for him but I see the upside given that his LCM was way better than SCY in high school.
And also I don’t think he wants to finish his senior year without one of the greatest swimmers to ever compete in the NCAA.
I think their relays rely on both of them being there personally.
Does anyone know where Marcoux is training?
He trained in Tallahassee over the summer
RIP Harvard
Top 7 next year
I agree, they’ve got a good chance of rebounding and finishing in the top 7 in the Ivy League next year when they get people back.
Definitely a tough road in front of the them. 2020 class should be pretty solid though from what I’ve heard. Look at for some pretty good commitments over the next few days (in fact, the first has already been announced) as early October is usually when recruits hear whether they are going to be able to get in or not.
Damn Harvard really got dismantled this season